October 25, 2016
A new line of peanuts will be appearing on the shelves of Queensland’s IGA supermarkets soon, and they’ll all be advertising Kingaroy and the South Burnett.
The new Kingaroy Flavoured Peanuts range is being produced by The Peanut Van for IGA and other wholesale customers.
On Tuesday morning, Peanut Van owner Rob Patch and Kingaroy SupaIGA owner Trace O’Neill officially launched the new brand at the Avoca Street supermarket in front of a media scrum, much to the amusement of passing shoppers who must have wondered what all the fuss was about.
Peanut Van co-owner Chris Patch said the new lines had been “awhile in the making” but would add to – rather than compete with – The Peanut Van’s other products.
“We know from 17 years operating The Peanut Van that there are some customers who won’t order products by mail because the postage is too expensive,” Chris said.
“We also know there are other customers who prefer to buy our products in person, but don’t get to our vans at Kingaroy or Childers that often.
“Now they’ll be able to go to their local IGA and get 375gm bags of 10 of our most popular lines.
“They won’t be able to get the whole Peanut Van range or the other sizes we have at the Peanut Vans, but we think it will go a long way towards helping meet their needs.”
The Peanut Van normally use 40 tonnes of peanuts a year to stock their Kingaroy and Childers outlets, but this could expand dramatically if Kingaroy Flavoured Peanuts are a hit with IGA customers.
The Peanut Van has already secured access to 400 tonnes of locally-produced peanuts from Crumptons, and its Kingaroy processing centre now has the capacity to cook and pack five tonnes per day.
The first IGA shipment was 16.7 tonnes, and took about four days to put together.
Rob, a lifelong peanut farmer who still grows peanuts on the family farm near Kingaroy, said he was “very excited” about the new range and looked forward to customer reactions.
The new lines come in Salt and Vinegar, Ginger and Honey, Barbecue, Hickory Smoke, Tangy Lime, Curry, Sea Salt, Honey Coasted, Mexican and Salted Caramel flavours.
If the Queensland IGA trials prove successful, Kingaroy Flavoured Peanuts could eventually go Australia-wide.
